


New Competition

by bookwyrmling



Series: Samwell Street [1]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Small Business, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 09:10:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11917713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookwyrmling/pseuds/bookwyrmling
Summary: A new business is about to move into Samwell Street and Bitty cannot stand its owner.





	New Competition

The video rental store run by Jenny and Mandy closed down a year ago and the building it occupied has been vacant ever since. It’s been a bit of an eyesore this whole time, so Jack’s glad to see when the signs advertising business space for rent come down and a fresh coat of paint goes up. It means good things for the economy of the city if someone can afford to rent the place–especially since, judging by the lack of garish advertisements, it’s not a big chain. Samwell Street has become a stronghold in the community for small, local businesses and Jack definitely wants it to stay that way.

It was one of the reasons he had chosen this street, and the building he now resides in, when he decided to open a flower shop here two years ago. John Johnson, the commercial real estate agent had said it was the perfect spot for him and Jack now agreed. It helped there weren’t any other florists in about a mile (which was a fair distance for a city as heavy in foot-traffic as this one), so he had limited competition except for the Farmer’s Market on Wednesday mornings two blocks down.

The owner of the bakery next door had only helped confirm to Jack he had chosen the right place when the man showed up with a box of treats to welcome him to the block, introduce himself (Eric Bittle, proprietor and head baker of Bitty’s Bites, “Call me Bitty, please.  Everyone does around here”), and offer Jack a “customary discount lunch or breakfast. We all try to help each other out.”

When his shop was finally up and running, he returned the favor with discounted flower arrangements for the nearby businesses and was amazed to see how much custom it brought in by sheer word of mouth (especially from Bitty’s Bites–“That delphinium arrangement from last week was just so amazing I had to ask where it came from and Bitty gave me your card. My mother’s birthday is coming up this weekend and her favorite flowers are dahlias. Do you think you could do something for a Saturday pick-up?”). And whenever he mentioned that yet another of Bitty’s customers had found their way into Jack’s shop, Bitty just seemed so honestly happy for him. He’d offer him a congratulatory piece of pie for desert with his lunch.

Basically, Bitty was an angel and that wasn’t even getting into how attractive he was.  It was really no wonder that Jack fell for him so hard.

When Bitty comes in blustering about a “fuck you” bouquet, therefore, Jack is surprised. Sure, he has heard Bitty complain about difficult customers–everyone had their fair share of stories there–or suppliers dropping the ball, but he’s never seen Bitty THIS angry before and Jack suddenly knows the exact meaning of the phrase “spitting mad.”

“Who does he think he is, barging in like that? Shows no respect for business at all. And thinking he can compete with me? That I need to listen to his suggestions?!”

Jack remains silent, listening to Bitty rant as he looks through his flower supply to think of the best way to fulfill the order. Orange lilies and geraniums seem a good place to start.

“Oh, Lord, I’m so sorry, Jack.  It’s just I met the owner of the new shop that took over the old video rental space. He’s apparently opening up a bakery, bless his heart. A bakery! On the same street as me! One block down from me! Sounds like it's going to be one of those hipstery ones with, like, lavender basil cupcakes or something, too. Anyway, he came in to say hello–or so he says, though clearly he was firing shots–and told me my store was so quaint and my menu was so traditional it was like visiting his mom. So now I’m giving him flowers and a sampler to show him exactly what he’s trying to stand up against. Anyway, I left Mrs. Long in the shop on her own, so I gotta head back. It usually takes her about ten minutes to decide to go with her usual order and that time is just about up. Can I pick these up tomorrow morning? I don’t mean to rush you or anything.”

“Uh, sure,” Jack replies, still trying to sift through everything Bitty has just told him and not quite getting there before the man runs back next door with a thank you shouted over his shoulder. Jack sighs and begins to jot down an idea for the ‘fuck you’ bouquet, figuring this new neighbor will be Problematic, at best.

* * *

 

It isn’t until the day after the next day that Jack meets him. The bell over the door rings and Jack looks up to find a well-built blonde man of average height, wearing a backwards snapback with a cowlick peeking through, a fitted flannel with the arms rolled up and distressed jeans, looking around his shop.  He’s all broad-shoulders and strong arms and Jack ducks his head to stare back at the peach roses he is dethorning instead of the perfect triangle his torso holds. Whoever he is, though, the man jams his hands into his front pockets, keeping his thumbs out and tapping against his hips as he grins.

“May I help you?” Jack asks the man once he has his racing thoughts back under control, trying to read what has brought him here.

“Hey!  I’m Kent Parson,” he greets, holding out his hand to shake with Jack before shoving it back in his pocket, “I’ll be opening my new shop right down the street in two weeks.”

“Jack Zimmermann,” Jack greets, already on guard and thinking about Bitty’s complaints, but wiping his hands on his apron and stepping away from his workstation. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”

“Oh, so you’re the owner here? Two days ago Eric, today you. Talk about an attractive area.”

Jack freezes at that, his eyebrows furrowing as he tries to figure out what Kent had meant by saying that, but Kent barely seems to pay it any heed as he barrels on. “Anyway, Eric came by with some flowers and treats yesterday and you were the one who did the flowers, right?”

Jack nods his head once, wondering if he would end up being the one verbally attacked over the bouquet’s meaning. Yesterday, Bitty had seemed proud of himself, so Jack had thought it had gone over well. Maybe he had read it wrong?

“Awesome! The arrangement was really good. I liked the color balance and wanted to see about getting some flower arrangements for the opening, at least,” Kent says with an unarmed smile.

By this point, Jack is so confused by Kent that he simply has to latch on to the moment and ignore his analysis of the guy’s character. He didn’t want to trust a guy who had pissed Bitty off that much–and he wouldn’t–but he could certainly talk business.

“Well, you’re welcome to see some of my pre-arranged flowers here in the shop, but I also do some specifically for a number of the businesses around here. Those arrangements I try to make for the businesses in question,” Jack explained.

“Oh, awesome! Like the ones at Eric’s bakery or that one short chick’s studio?”

“Drunken Canvas and she goes by Lardo,” Jack corrected with a nod. “Nursey’s Artist’s Co-Op two blocks down displays some of them, too, along with Ransom’s and Holster’s practices. I offer a discount to the local businesses for arrangements they use in their stores. Since this is your opening, I’ll do them at cost for you–as a welcome gift.”

Kent’s grey eyes go wide and his jaw drops a bit before he blushes and looks away. “Shit man, thanks,” he says, one of his hands reappearing from his pocket to rub at his jaw. “Everyone’s been crazy welcoming.  It’s pretty insane.”

“We all try to help each other out,” Jack shrugs, “If anyone asks about the flowers, just send them my way and we’ll call it even.”

“Of course,” Kent agrees, his grin back in place. “I’m still putting the shop together, but if you want to come by next week, we can go over what would be best?”

“I should be able to work that into my schedule around lunch,” Jack agrees.

“Cool,” Kent nods and turns to leave, but, before actually doing so, he turns back around.

“Aside from business…” he begins with a shift of his weight and a slight blush on his cheeks, “I just thought you might know since you’re neighbors. Is Eric…seeing anyone?”

Jack’s eyes shot wide open at the chagrined question and he was glad he had stepped away from his workstation because if he’d had a rose in his hands, he would have snapped the stem in two. “I…I’m sorry?” he asks in pure confusion. Hadn’t Bittle given him the ‘fuck you’ bouquet yesterday? Why was Kent now aiming for Bitty?

“I mean, he’s pretty good looking, right?” Kent asks and Jack recognizes the smitten look on his face because Bitty always brought the same exact smile out on Jack’s face–he has photographic evidence from block parties–“And he’s been really welcoming. I mean, I figured he must be based off his shop, but…”

“He mentioned you called it quaint and his menu traditional?” Jack asks.

“Oh, yeah,” Kent smiles fondly, “It’s really warm and homey. Like…makes me miss my family, you know? But in a good way.”

Jack has to turn away and rub at his eyes because suddenly, suddenly things are beginning to make sense and he’s thinking Kent probably didn’t deserve the message he apparently didn’t understand in the first place.

“So you’re not worried about competing with him?” Jack asks and his idea is confirmed when Kent laughs.

“Compete? No way. We fill two completely different niches within baking. If anything, I was super glad Johnson showed me this place because I figured an experienced small business owner and baker could help me get my feet wet. And we can send customers to each other if we don’t quite have what they need.”

Jack sighs in disbelief–kind of wants to cry, actually–but Kent keeps on talking about how he had been visiting all the businesses to introduce himself and see what kind of vibes the street had. “I don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb, or anything,” he tells Jack with a shrug, “Just looking for a solid community.”

That is a sentiment Jack understands. It was the same sentiment that brought him to this neighborhood, that idea of looking for a place to belong, a place to be himself and find people who accept him for that.

“We meet Thursdays.”

Jack’s eyes widen the moment he realizes what he says and Kent looks confused.

“There’s an Association the small businesses run and we meet at Two to Tango for food, drinks and networking.  You should come and introduce yourself.”

Jack swears he almost forgets to breathe at the smile that lights up Kent’s face. “Thanks man!” he says, “I’ll definitely be there.”

Kent leaves then and Jack’s tense shoulders droop in relief, the rest of his body taking their signal and doing the same as he sinks into a crouch on the floor. Bitty thinks Kent is trying to oust him. Kent has a crush on Bitty. Jack has a crush on Bitty. Judging by the way his heart is still hammering in his chest after seeing that last smile, Jack is also definitely attracted to Kent. It’s all one big mess and Jack is pretty sure it won’t be an easy one to sort out.  And they are still only getting started.

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted from Tumblr. I keep telling myself I write more of this, but *shrugs* we'll see.


End file.
